Dennis Hamel
History of Montana,by Joaquin Miller, 1894
May be copied for non-profit purposes.
USGENWEB Montana Archives
Dennis Hamel, a prominent farmer residing on the Mullan
Road, a short distance west of Frenchtown, was born in
Quebec
Canada in 1837 and is of French descent. He was raised
in his native city and is a self-educated man. In 1856
he came
to St. Paul, Minneosta where he remained two years,
spent six months in Tennessee; was afterward employed
by the
American Fur Company in St. Louis; came up the Missouri
River to Montana; during the first winter in this state
worked at Fort Benton; worked on a farm one year in Walla
Walla; following mining at the Oro Fino mines in Idaho;
six months afterward returned to Walla Walla; in the
following spring went to Boise Basin and while at the latter
place, with three others, often took out from $300 to
$400 a day. Mr. Hamel was afterward engaged in freighting
from Walla Walla to Boise Basin and other places, for which
he received twenty-five cents per pound. When gold was
discovered at Cedar Creek he went to that place, but met
with poor success. He next mined at Boise Basin for wages
and in 1876 located on 120 acres of his present farm, three
miles west of Frenchtown. Mr. Hamel has since added to
his original purchase until he now owns 260 acres of fine
farming land, where , in addition to general farming, he
is engaged in stock-raising, for which he has a large free range.
In 1874 our subject was united in marriage with Miss Emily
Courtwell, who was born in this state, a daughter of one
of Montana's earliest pioneers. By this union have been
born three children--Clara, who resides with her father; and
Florence and Napoleon, deceased, the former dying at the
age of nine years, and the latter at seven years. The wife
and mother departed this life January 24, 1881 and her
loss proved a severe one to her husband and daughter.
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